“Do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).” Writing to the Corinthians, Saint Paul the Apostle recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It is the oldest testimony we have to the words of Christ at the Last Supper.

“Do this.” That is, take bread, give thanks, and break it. Take the chalice, give thanks, and share it. Jesus gives the command to repeat this action by which he instituted the memorial of his own passover; and in doing so, he gives us his Body and Blood. This action reaches us even now. It is the “doing” of the Eucharist which always has Jesus as its subject, but which is made real through our poor hands anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Do this.” On a previous occasion, Jesus asks his disciples to “do” what was so clear to him in obedience of the will of God. In the Gospel of Luke (See Luke 9:11-17), Jesus says to the disciples in front of the tired and hungry crowd: “Give them something to eat yourselves (Luke 9:13).” Indeed, it is Jesus who blesses and breaks the loaves and provides sufficient food to satisfy the whole crowd. But it is the disciples who offer the five loaves and the two fish. Jesus wants it this way. Instead of sending the crowd away, the disciples put at his disposal what little food they had.

There is another gesture. The pieces of bread, broken by the holy and venerable hands of the Lord, pass into the poor hands of the disciples, who distribute the pieces to the people. This too is the disciples “doing” with Jesus. With him they are able to “give them something to eat.” Clearly this miracle was not intended merely to satisfy their hunger for a day, but rather it signals what Christ wants to accomplish for the salvation of all humankind — by giving his own flesh and blood (See John 6:48-58). This must always happen through those small actions — offering the few loaves and fish that we have, receiving the bread broken by the hands of Jesus, and giving it to everyone.

Breaking. This is the other word that explains the meaning of the command: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus was broken. He is broken for us. And he asks us to give ourselves, to break ourselves for others. This “breaking bread” becomes the icon, the sign for recognizing Christ and Christians. We think of Emmaus. They knew him “in the breaking of the bread (See Luke 24:35).” We recall the first community of Jerusalem: “They held steadfastly…to the breaking of the bread (See Acts 2:42).” From the outset, it is the Eucharist that becomes the center and pattern of the life of the Church. And we also think about all of the saints, famous or anonymous, who have “broken” their own lives, in order to “give something to eat” to their brothers and sisters.

How many mothers, how many fathers, together with the slices of bread they provide each day on the tables of their homes, have broken their hearts to let their children grow and grow well! How many Christians, as responsible citizens, have broken their own lives to defend the dignity of all people, especially the poor, the marginalized, and the victims of discrimination! Where do they find the strength to do this? It is in the Eucharist! It is in the power of the Risen Lord’s love who breaks bread for us now and repeats: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Learn More: Vatican News Service
CCGR Weekly Newsletter (7-16-23)
Bringing Home the Word (7-16-23)
The Kids Bulletin (7-16-23)

Note: This week’s message is an excerpt of the Holy Father’s Homily on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (2016).

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Call to Prayer
For a Eucharistic Life

By Pope Francis